The government has temporarily relaxed elements of competition law to allow UK supermarkets to work more closely together to feed the nation in the face of the coronavirus crisis.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) made the announcement overnight and said grocers would now be able to share stock level data, cooperate on keeping stores open and share distribution depots and delivery vans.
Retailers will be allowed to pool staff with each another to meet demand and the rules around drivers’ hours have been relaxed so more food can be delivered to stores.
The current 5p plastic bag charge will also be lifted for online purchases to speed up delivery but will remain in place for in-store purchases.
Environment secretary George Eustice said: “We’ve listened to the powerful arguments of our leading supermarkets and will do whatever it takes to help them feed the nation.
“By relaxing elements of competition laws temporarily, our retailers can work together on their contingency plans and share the resources they need with each other during these unprecedented circumstances.
“We welcome the measures supermarkets are already taking to keep shelves stocked and supply chains resilient and will continue to support them with their response to coronavirus.”
Director of food and sustainability at the BRC Andrew Opie said: “We welcome this important decision by the government to give retailers greater flexibility to work together to tackle the challenges posed by coronavirus.
“Retailers have been working hard to ensure shelves are stocked and this is an exceptional step taken by the government to help retailers and their suppliers cope with problems that might be caused by widescale absences across the supply chain.”
Defra’s announcement came as the government classified supermarket staff and delivery drivers as key workers who can still send their children to school, despite closures coming into effect today.
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